Egyptian Exhibition /Waterhouse /Booth /Alpacas /Blue Wren / Mt Bold

Visited the Art Gallery of South Australia to see the Egyptian Exhibition "Egyptian Antiquities from the Louvre - Journey to the Afterlife" and to have a look at some of my favourite works in the Gallery Collection. Every man and his dog was at the Afterlife show, but its good to see people coming to the gallery, even if they do march past the States collections! Of the Louvre exhibition, I enjoyed the very small objects of affection, particularly the bird like creature known as the 'Ba' sitting beside his master ready to take his soul into the afterlife.

Strolling through the major collections, I noticed the Asian Cultures Galleries have had a 'makeover' and saw quite a few new donations from the Heaven family. A row of wonderful silver objects that are all odd shapes, great stuff! So then I wandered off to look at the European Collection and stopped by William BOUGUEREAU's, "Virgin and Child" 1888, whilst the subject matter is not of interest to me, the way he painted flesh is worth the examination...I always look at it every time I go past...



Just across the way is another painting, I don't really care for the subject matter but the colours J.W. WATERHOUSE, used in "The favourites of the Emperor Honorius", painted in 1883 is something every painter should examine. It has wonderful realism yes, but it is the textures, the salmon pinks, the lemons and soft greens and pale blue's, I see contemporary abstraction of colour rather than the perfect form...I could and have stared at this painting for the longest time...



I wanted to see what the contemporary section had to offer...The large Gerhard Richter painting is cracked very badly and think it should be taken to ArtLab immediately for restoration work! I was disappointed that the Ah Xian's sculpture had been moved from the centre of the room where you could walk around it to a place where it isn't lit and also with its back against the wall! WHY??? Feeling a bit grrr about all of that I felt I needed to look at the work I'd left until last...The amazing, thought provoking work by Peter Booth titled, "Painting 1982" featuring cannibals and flying people, its rough, gutsy and just where my mind is right now. I'm feeling like I don't want to paint small delicate paintings, perhaps it is time for me to go back to large, emotionally driven works that somehow realise some of the stuff I keep hidden from the world. As my day job becomes more and more regimented, I feel that this is why I'm needing to break out and be free so to speak. I guess I'm doing a bit of soul searching and wanted to see what I responded to by looking at a microcosm of art history and it was Booth who spoke to me most....

Managed some painting time and worked on the portrait that has been on and off the easel for awhile. Thought about doing some quick studies but decided fresh air was more important, so got out and about where I came upon some Alpacas :)



and a very nosey little Blue Wren at Mt Bold Reservoir that just couldn't keep away!



Just as aside to the reservoir, our State Government, as of July 1st, has just instituted the next level of water restrictions and a no watering policy (buckets are ok) and yet as you can see, they are letting out plenty of the so called precious commodity...curious, don't you think????